The single‑robot ground‑rail welding workstation is an intelligent welding cell equipped with one 6‑axis robot plus 7th‑axis ground rail. It is developed for medium‑length structural workpieces such as H‑beams, crane girders, box beams and steel‑structure stiffeners. The travelling ground rail extends robot working reach, balancing investment cost and processing stroke for flexible automation upgrade of steel fabrication factories.

The workstation includes 6‑axis welding robot, 7th‑axis ground‑rail travelling mechanism, MIG/MAG welding power source, water‑cooled anti‑collision torch, laser vision seam‑tracking system, torch cleaning station and electrical control cabinet. The robot offers 2010 mm maximum reach, 6 kg payload and ±0.05 mm repeat positioning accuracy. The 6‑meter ground rail adopts rack‑and‑pinion and linear‑guide transmission. Overall dimension is 6×1×1.2 m with total power of 17 KW, maximum working envelope 6.5×1.2×0.3 m. Average daily welding output reaches 140‑200 meters.

Synchronized motion between robot and 7th‑axis ground rail breaks the reach limitation of fixed robotic cells. Laser vision tracking compensates assembly tolerances for stable fillet welds and multi‑layer multi‑pass welding. Dual‑station layout along rail enables welding on one side while loading‑unloading on the other, improving equipment uptime.

Modular integrated structure simplifies on‑site commissioning without heavy civil construction. With lower investment compared with gantry systems, rail travel length can be customized according to workpiece size. It produces consistent weld beads and reduces rework, easing the shortage of skilled welders. Widely used in building steel‑structure and heavy‑equipment industries, it is a cost‑effective automated welding solution for medium‑long steel components.